Truth or Dare and the Following Consequences
by Aranel-o-Aduial
Summary: Merlin takes the forfeit when playing Truth or Dare, and Arthur wonders what dark secret his manservant is hiding. His investigations make him look into subjects that couldn't possibly relate to his manservant- could they?
1. A Game

**Author's note: Well, another idea popped into my head, and I decided to write it out. This is going to be a short fic, so don't expect frequent updates. Just a few warnings: set after season 3, but before season 4, AU, no slash, (sorry,) and just arwen for pairings, though I'm not sure if there will be much of it yet... probably not. And I'm not good at making up dares, so this first chapter may be a bit weird to those experienced in the art of embarrassment. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****_Merlin_**** or any of its characters.**

Gwaine laughed as Elyan reentered the clearing, soaking wet and grumbling. The knight sat down next to the fire, grimacing at Gwaine and then shifting his gaze to the rest of the group.

"Never again," he stated simply, and the rest of the group joined in Gwaine's laughter. Arthur smirked as he looked at Merlin.

"Your turn," he stated simply, and Merlin sighed.

'Truth or Dare' was definitely Merlin's least favorite game. It was either protect your honor while simultaneously losing it in a game or tell an embarrassing story to a group of laughing- sometimes drunken- people. Not to mention the looks you get if you forfeit.

He had been forced into the game by Gwaine, who was the one to suggest it in the first place, and would _not_ have it if Merlin refused. Merlin had only played the game once before with Will, and he found that it was significantly more embarrassing if you're playing with people that you haven't known all your childhood- people who don't know most of the embarrassing stories that you have to tell. Merlin raised his eyes to the heavens and silently cursed whoever invented the game.

Arthur cleared his throat as Merlin didn't say anything, "Well, _Mer_lin, truth or dare?"

Merlin swallowed, thinking for a moment before saying "Truth," not wanting to lose what dignity he had left. He earned himself a bunch of drunken giggles from Lancelot, who had previously had a drinking contest with Gwaine at Percival's suggestion. Gwaine won, obviously- the group had stopped the contest as Lancelot had started singing a surprisingly well-composed song about donkeys.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin's answer, and made a silent vow to get revenge on Merlin for his dare- dance with Sir Leon whilst singing a song, which Merlin had titled 'Of Prats and Their Traditions.'

"Swear," Arthur ordered, Merlin clearing his throat.

"I, Merlin Ambrosius-" Merlin noticed smugly Arthur's expression at the warlock's full name, "-swear to tell the whole truth and only the truth. So do I swear."

Arthur nodded, the starts of a smirk visible on the edges of the prince's mouth, "So, your question-" the prince paused here for dramatic effect, looking around at the group before continuing:

"What is your biggest secret?"

Lancelot giggled uncontrollably at this statement, hiccupping a few times and giving Merlin a look that stated 'you're in for it now.'

Merlin swallowed, creasing his brow. He was_ definitely_ forfeiting this one. There was _no way_ he was going to let it end in a game, _no way_ he would let it end like this. He had covered it up for too long for it to end this way.

These thoughts were the ones going through his head as he simply stated "Forfeit," ignoring the way eager faces were replaced with that of disappointment as he agreed to the forfeit. Gwaine stood up, though, and laughed.

"I was wondering when somebody would take it! Come here, buddy!" he said, giving Merlin a noogie before leading him off toward a tree.

And Arthur watched with a raised eyebrow as Merlin hung upside-down from a tree-branch for five minutes, his surprisingly thin chest exposed as the group threw clods of dirt at him, and the prince wondered as he formed another ball of dirt what big secret Merlin could have that he wouldn't share with them.

And, that night, he resolved to find out.


	2. A Bit More Difficult

**Author's note: Oh my gosh, thanks for all the positive feedback! This chapter is kind of boring, but I promise the next one will be great! I had great fun writing it, at least... anyway, I'll try to update with the next chapter tomorrow, since I know this one's kind of short. It just seemed a good place to end it off, so... stuff. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:****_ Merlin_**** and all its characters do not belong to me.**

Arthur awoke to a face full of dirt as Merlin took his revenge for the previous night, the prince spitting out the offending material as he shot into a sitting position and glared at his manservant.

Merlin looked at him with an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Rise and shine, sire!" he said, grinning goofily as he saw the indignant look on the prince's face. Gwaine laughed as Lancelot awoke to the noise, rubbing his head as if he regretted waking up at all and rolling back onto his stomach.

"Hey, Lance, how're you feeling?" the knight asked mockingly, and Lancelot groaned. Elyan chuckled good-naturedly.

Arthur stood up, Merlin beginning to pack up his things as he walked over to Lance and helped him up, the knight groaning and rubbing his eyes as the light hit them.

"Gods, I am _never_ playing that game with you again, Percival," the knight stated, Percival grinning, his cheeks slightly pink and looking a bit guilty for being the cause of his friend's troubles.

Merlin finished packing up the camp and put out the fire, stringing their belongings over the backs of the horses and setting off with the rest of the group towards Camelot.

…

The next day led to much planning and staring on the prince's part, planning relating to how he was going to get Merlin to say his biggest secret, and staring that was quite frankly creeping his manservant out. Merlin was becoming peeved from his master's eyes constantly on him, and worried by the calculating look in his eyes. A thought occurred to him, and the warlock laughed out loud, startling Arthur out of his calculations.

"This is about last night, isn't it? The look you're giving me!" he said, "You're trying to figure out the answer to your question!"

Arthur flushed as he realized that he had been staring, and even more so as he realized that his manservant had hit the nail on the head. "I don't know what you're talking about," he stated, feigning ignorance, but Merlin just laughed again.

"And then why, your Royal Pratness, are you the color of a tomato?"

Arthur swallowed, "Uh, I was thinking about Gwen," he stated, but Merlin just snorted.

"Doesn't matter. If that's all," Merlin said, gesturing to the now clean room, "I'll leave you alone to your scheming."

Arthur creased his brow, but dismissed his manservant, the warlock nodding and walking out of the room, chuckling to himself.

And Arthur frowned as he realized that his job may be a _bit_ more difficult now that Merlin knew he was planning something.


	3. Contagious Expressions

**Author's note: Okay, I know it's going to get really redundant if I keep on saying this at the beginning of every chapter, but I feel the need. Thanks so much for all the positive feedback! I'm glad you guys like it, since I personally think this story is one of my best, even if the idea is a little bit corny. Thanks!**

**This is personally my favorite chapter, so I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer:****_ Merlin_**** and all its characters do not belong to me.**

Arthur's plan consisted of several elements that would all work together to get a confession out of Merlin- a campfire, a hunting trip for two, and a small guilt trip for an amused warlock, (who, if he continued to smirk at Arthur like that, would be mucking out the stables every day for a month,) and a revelation. It was quite ingenious, Arthur thought. He smirked, praising his own intelligence, and then frowned as he saw Merlin's amused expression grow larger. The warlock was enjoying this a little too much for the prince's liking.

But, if Merlin was honest with himself, he was a bit worried. Arthur now _knew_ that he was hiding something, and was probably planning at this very moment on giving his friend- though the prince would never admit it- a guilt trip around the campfire. Little did the prince know that Merlin had already thought of this plan, and had a small plan of his own. This led to a very large smirk on the warlock's face that would have put Morgana to shame, and Arthur was becoming very annoyed by it, he could tell.

Merlin never thought that smirks were contagious, but it would explain the self-satisfied look on the prince's face at the moment. He raised his eyebrows as the expression grew on Arthur's face, and quickly fell when he realized how much Merlin was enjoying the moment.

"_Mer_lin, do you mind wiping that look off of your face? You look like George during spring cleaning!"

Merlin snorted, then frowned, scowling at the prince and saying very dejectedly, "Is this better, _sire_?" The twinkle in his eye didn't fade, and Arthur scowled himself at his manservant's attitude.

Gwen had always said that Merlin's smile was contagious, Merlin thought, but it seems that all his other expressions are too. The warlock resisted the urge to pull a stupid face and see if it transferred to Arthur.

"Anyway," Arthur said, rolling his eyes as Merlin continued cleaning, "Once you're done, you should ready the horses. I was planning a hunting trip today, since it's so nice out."

"Arthur, have you _been_ outside today? It's stifling!"

"Yes, _Mer_lin, I have been outside, and you would find that if you didn't wear so many layers of clothing, that it is _not_ as hot today as it would seem for somebody dressed for winter!"

Merlin scowled again, the twinkle leaving his eyes this time, "And you would know this since the last time you went outside, it was in full armor."

Arthur frowned as he realized the flaw in his statement, and Merlin smirked.

"Besides, you told Gwen that you would take her out today, remember?"

"Well, I suppose… that it can wait until tomorrow. There's nothing going on tomorrow, right?"

"A knighting and a council meeting," Merlin's previous amused expression had resurfaced as he pointed out his master's forgetfulness, "In fact, you have council meetings for the next three days. Would you like to schedule a hunt on Friday, _sire_?"

Arthur nodded, "Yes, that would be good, thank you," he said, and Merlin gasped mockingly, smirking.

"You're _thanking_ me for something? I never thought I'd see the day!"

He dodged the goblet that was thrown his way, only to be splattered by the liquid which it still contained.

"Prat."


	4. Of Ignorant Princes

**Author's note: Again, thanks for all the positive feedback. Things get a little dramatic for a few chapters here, but the mood'll lighten up after that. **

**I am sad to inform you that updates may be slowing down, as I have hit a small block, and am being swamped with homework by my math teacher. Don't worry- I'll update as frequently as I can, but, sadly, real life gets in the way of fanfiction. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ****_Merlin_**** and all its characters do not belong to me.**

Arthur was quite put out that the hunt would have to wait until Friday, but then realized that this gave him a chance to make Merlin feel guilty _before_ his plan went into action, therefore increasing the chance of a confession from the warlock. He smirked to himself as he sat at the council meeting, Merlin standing behind him with pitcher in hand.

"…I fail to see what could possibly be so entertaining about taxes, sire," one of the more arrogant council members said to the Prince Regent upon seeing his expression. Merlin wondered why he couldn't apply his insolence to when Morgana had Arthur's expression.

This statement wiped the self-satisfied expression off of Arthur's face, and the prince fumed. He took a deep breath.

"Well, I'm sure Geoffrey understands, don't you, Geoffrey?" Arthur defended, not willing to admit he hadn't been paying attention.

"Yes, sire, perfectly," the librarian said too quickly, earning himself stares from the other council members. He blushed and shrunk in his chair, the attention quickly shifting from the librarian to the other member of the council that was nodding excitedly.

Arthur nodded, not actually having expected the librarian to answer him. He wasn't complaining, though, as he was no longer the center of attention.

"Anyway…" one of the council members said, the attention shifting back to the taxes, "The outlying villages have been neglecting…"

His voice faded into the background as Arthur's schemes took up the entirety of his attention.

…

Arthur had a genius plan, and he was planning on using it. He looked at his manservant as the boy tidied up the room, waiting for the perfect moment to act. He sighed.

"Something wrong, Arthur?" Merlin asked, knowing full well what was wrong with the prince.

"Am I stupid, Merlin?" Arthur asked, the warlock turning around in surprise.

"Well, surely you know my opinion on _that_-"

"Merlin, for once in your life, could you be serious?" Arthur asked, trying to sound as exhausted as possible. Considering how exhausted he actually was after the council meeting, his charade worked perfectly. Merlin stiffened, and Arthur withheld a smile at his success.

"I mean, all of this time, I didn't even _notice_ something was wrong with Morgana, and she's my _sister_. Am I so ignorant that I can't even see what's right in front of me?"

Merlin frowned, pushing the suspicion from his mind. This event was to recent and the wounds too _raw_ for Arthur to be faking it, and, Arthur wasn't. "You're not ignorant, Arthur. How could you know what Morgana was planning?"

Arthur ignored him, and put all his recent emotion that he had been holding down into his next words, "But all this time… How long was she planning this?"

"Arthur…"

"Merlin, you _knew_, didn't you?"

Merlin suddenly went rigid, and Arthur gaped. He hadn't been expecting _that_. The thought was just a small suspicion at the back of his mind, a small part of him noticing how Merlin acted around Morgana before the attack, and he had voiced it before he could stop himself. Merlin sighed.

"Yes," he said wearily, and Arthur snapped his mouth shut at the boy's tone.

Arthur frowned as the small part of him that had voiced his suspicions realized that he was nearing Merlin's secret from the exhaustion in the boy's voice, and decided to push him.

"How long?"

Merlin creased his brow, "Well, I couldn't exactly say anything, but…" he trailed off, looking at the rag in his hand guiltily.

"How long, Merlin?"

"Since the battle with Cenred," Merlin said quietly, not meeting Arthur's eyes, "I saw her talking with Morgause."

Arthur gaped, "She'd been gone _that long_?"

Merlin simply nodded, beginning to scrub the floor again halfheartedly. There was a silence, and then Merlin stopped his scrubbing, looking up at Arthur.

"You're not an idiot, Arthur," he said, though he looked like he didn't really believe his words. Arthur sighed, turning back to his papers.

They worked in silence for the rest of the day.


	5. Fire on the Water

**Author's note: I know it's getting redundant, but I feel inclined to thank you all. Long chapter today, at least considering the length of my other chapters. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ****_Merlin_**** and all its characters do not belong to me.**

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted as he enacted the next part of his plan. It had taken Arthur a while to get over the information he had gleaned from his manservant, but he had quickly decided that if he wanted the whole story, he was going to have to get it himself.

He had never really noticed how secretive Merlin was before the game of Truth or Dare, and he didn't really pay his manservant much attention before then, either, even though he was the prince's closest friend- Not that he would ever admit that. Knowing that _Merlin_ of all people had known about Morgana's betrayal made him wonder what other secrets he had been hiding, if _this _was one of the _small_ ones. He stormed up the stairs into Merlin's room, ignoring a very flustered Gaius. His plan consisted of giving Merlin the day off, then forgetting, like he has done so many times.

So, it was a great surprise to see that Merlin wasn't _in_ his room. He turned around and walked down the stairs.

"Gaius, where's Merlin?" he asked, attempting to sound hostile, but coming off as confused. Gaius raised an eyebrow at the prince's tone.

"He went out, sire. Said he was going to visit a friend," the physician explained, then frowned as he saw Arthur's disappointed expression.

"Well, I shall go find him, then!" Arthur explained, but Gaius's expression stopped him from leaving.

"Sire, you gave him the day off, remember?" he said, and Arthur attempted to look surprised, though he still planned on going after Merlin. Gaius sighed as the prince failed at his attempt at shock, "Sire, I know it really isn't my business, but I know you're planning something, and I know my advice most likely won't be listened to in your current state-" Arthur resented that, "-but I would advise against this plan of action you are taking. Merlin has a right to secrets, and I'm sure he will tell you when the time is right. Pushing him will only push the right time further away."

Arthur gaped. He had suspected that maybe Merlin had told Gaius about his plans, but didn't really expect he would have. He tried to think of what to say, and, coming up with nothing, shut his mouth and walked out the door, planning to go after Merlin. He was stopped by Gaius, surprisingly.

"He's down by the lake, if you're going after him," the physician said, Arthur turning around in surprise at his words, "I don't approve of your plans, sire, but right now… I think he might need a friend."

Arthur nodded, and walked out the door to find Merlin. Only when he was outside of the city's gates did he question why Merlin needed a friend when he was visiting one. He pushed on, anyway.

…

Merlin was glad Arthur had given him a break, though he knew the reason for it. The prince was, yet again, trying to give Merlin a guilt trip by pretending to forget it was his day off and asking him what was wrong. But, Merlin thought as he skipped pebbles across the lake, he would have an actual reason to ask what was wrong with Merlin today. It figures the prince would give him a day off a week after the anniversary of Freya's death. He threw another rock across the lake, this one failing to skip across the water and landing with a splash. He just wished that he'd gotten to see more of Freya than a reflection in a pool of water and a _hand_ during Morgana's attack against Camelot. He sighed as he looked at his reflection in the lake, ripples spreading out from where his tears hit the water.

He jumped as the bushes behind him rustled and Arthur walked out. Merlin frowned. He shouldn't have told Gaius where he was going…

"Merlin?" the prince's voice brought Merlin out of his bitter thoughts, "Mind telling me what you're doing?"

Merlin sighed, turning away from Arthur and staring across the surface of the water. Arthur walked over and sat down next to him, looking at the warlock with concern. He turned to the lake as well.

"It's very beautiful," Arthur said, "I can understand why you like it here."

"It's where I laid her to rest," Merlin said, as surprised as Arthur that he'd opened up to the prince. He smiled helplessly as the prince frowned at him, concern etched into his face. Part of him had wanted to say that to Arthur, and the words had just slipped out. Funny how secrets work like that, he thought, come out at the strangest of moments and never hurt on the way, like you think they will. He sighed, and there was a moment of silence before Arthur put his hand on his shoulder. Merlin looked up at his friend's concerned face, then looked across the water again, silence between the two again.

"Who was she?" Arthur asked eventually, Merlin sighing at his words. Arthur frowned, "Merlin, if you never open up about this, it'll hurt forever."

Merlin frowned and hung his head. He knew the prince was right. Besides, he could stretch the truth a little, couldn't he?

"Her name was Freya," he said, Arthur looking at his manservant and waiting for him to say more, "She was a druid, and was hunted by Uther," Merlin looked up, worried that he maybe had said too much, but there was no spark of recognition on Arthur's face. Just pity.

"He found her?" Arthur asked, and Merlin nodded.

"She was killed. I burned her body here," Merlin said, and Arthur frowned. If she was killed by Uther, then she would have had an unmarked grave, as all of the sorcerers and druids killed by his father did. He opened his mouth to ask about that, but then closed it, realizing that it was probably a sensitive topic for Merlin.

"I'm sorry," he said, and Merlin frowned.

"Wasn't your fault," Merlin said, though he sounded as if he were trying to convince _himself_ more than Arthur. The prince pointedly ignored this, and, after a pause, Merlin continued, "We wanted to run away together- go to a place where nobody would recognize us: somewhere in the mountains with a few fields, a couple of cows, and a lake. This was as close as I could get before she…" Merlin trailed off, a tear hitting the surface of the water. Arthur frowned, not sure what to say to his friend.

Merlin took a deep breath, calming himself. He looked at Arthur, "Anyway, no use in dwelling on the past. Let's get back to Camelot, shall we?"

Arthur nodded, glad to see that his manservant didn't need comforted. He wasn't really good at all that girly stuff. A thought then occurred to Arthur, and he frowned, looking at Merlin.

"Merlin?"

"Mm?"

"That wasn't the _big_ secret that you weren't going to tell me, was it? That you were in love with a druid?"

Merlin went to shake his head, but thought better of it and said, "Yeah, that was it. Sorry for not telling you."

Little did the warlock know that Arthur could hear the lie in his voice.


	6. Of Chores and Lazy Manservants

**Author's note: Thanks for the feedback, ****_again_****, and, to answer TheDragonRider's question, I do ship Freylin.**

**You're going to hate me for the cliffhanger.**

**Disclaimer: ****_Merlin_**** and all its characters do not belong to me.**

Arthur jolted awake as his curtains were ripped open with the familiar call of, "Rise and shine!" The prince rolled over onto his stomach, shielding his eyes and groaning. The previous night had been mostly occupied by his plans, with sleep as an afterthought. He was _sure_ that Merlin was still hiding something, and he planned to find out what it was. Tomorrow was the day of the hunt, and he planned to get a confession out of Merlin then, and he had a feeling that his manservant wasn't going to let him off easy.

Well, no time like the present, Arthur thought, and he sat up and got out of bed, startling Merlin and causing the warlock to drop the pillow he had been about to throw. His manservant's eyes were wide.

"Arthur? You're actually getting up?" Merlin asked, flabbergasted, then whooped. "It's a miracle!"

"I have an early council meeting, remember?" Arthur said, frowning as Merlin did a little happy dance.

The warlock stopped his dance, "That's never stopped you before, sire," he said, and Arthur sighed, lowering his head so that Merlin didn't see the grin that flashed across the prince's face when an idea came to his mind.

"Well, I got a good night's sleep, knowing that you've finally been honest with me," he said, and the look of guilt that flashed across his manservant's face was quickly replaced with a knowing smile. Arthur gulped as he realized that he'd given his game away once again.

"Arthur," Merlin said as Arthur continued to sit on his bed, "I know getting up this early is unusual for you, but do you mind moving?"

Arthur frowned, and stood up, Merlin helping him into his clothes. The prince sat down to eat breakfast, thinking through his plan, which involved Merlin being swamped with chores, and Arthur wearing him out during training, leaving an exhausted, more vulnerable to suggestion Merlin for Arthur to extract the truth from, or at least guilt a bit. He had it all planned out. And it all started with his next sentence:

"Merlin, I need you to polish my armor, sharpen my sword, wash my clothes, and clean my room," he would add more chores on later.

Merlin nodded, the list familiar to him, though his usual frown appeared on his face. "Yes, _sire_."

Arthur was amazed at how his manservant could fill such a respectful title with so much sarcasm, an ability he didn't envy. Much.

He shook these thoughts from his head and headed to the council meeting, thinking through his plan. Merlin went to follow him, but the prince did a rare thing and excused him.

"But, Arthur-"

"Oh, George has been wanting to do this for ages!" Arthur said, though the main reason was he needed Merlin to be working the entire time, so he was more exhausted, "You just get started on your chores," he said, Merlin raising an eyebrow but staying silent. He would puzzle out the prince later.

"Yes, sire."

"And I want that armor spotless, you hear?" Arthur said, shutting the door behind him, but not quick enough to not hear Merlin mutter:

"Yes, prat."

…

It was against Merlin's better judgment, but from the way Arthur excused him from the council meeting, he assumed that the prince had a lot more chores in mind for his manservant. He could tell anymore when Arthur was using his I'm-going-to-get-that-secret-out-of-you-yet tone. The prince wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as he would like to believe, and Merlin suspected that he was thinking of more chores to wear Merlin out right this moment.

So, he used magic. No shame in a _little_ bit of magic when your master was planning on swamping you, was there?

Little did he know, the council meeting had ended early and Arthur was on his way back to his room.

The prince was stifling a smirk the entire council meeting, and he was glad when one of the members passed out from what Gaius said was dehydration. It _was_ pretty warm that day, and the council had agreed to put off the meeting until he had awoken and was feeling up to coming. So, it would be continued that afternoon. Arthur finally gave up the battle and smirked to himself as he walked down the hall, startling a servant that walked past him, giving the prince a double take before he was sure that the expression wasn't intended for him.

But, that smirk was quickly wiped off the prince's face when he heard the great clamor coming from his room.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the constant noise, which sounded like Merlin was doing all his chores at once. He was about to burst into the room and demand what was going on, but thought better of it and looked around, making sure that nobody was coming. It wouldn't do for anybody to see the Prince Regent spying on his own quarters. But, what he saw when he looked through the keyhole to his room pushed any thoughts of embarrassment from his mind. He jolted back from the door, stifling a gasp that would most definitely have given him away.

_Merlin_ had _magic_.


	7. A True Friend?

**Author's note: Thanks again for the feedback, short chapter, sorry. Anyway, though this isn't the last chapter, I have managed to finish this story, and should be getting my math homework done today, so I guess I counted my chickens before they hatched with the whole 'updates slowing down' thing. Sorry.**

**I am disappointed in Syfy. Putting Merlin off until May! ****_Why_****? I really envy those that live in the UK.**

**Disclaimer: ****_Merlin_**** and all its characters don't belong to me.**

Arthur stood in that position for what seemed like quite a while, running through what he had just saw in his head and organizing his thoughts.

The laundry was doing itself, the armor was floating in mid-air, his sword was being levitated against a stone, and, right in the middle of all this organized chaos, Merlin was scrubbing the floor with glowing eyes. There was only one explanation.

His clumsy, stupid oaf of a manservant had _magic_ and was practicing it in _Camelot_ in the _Prince Regent's room_! How stupid was he?

Arthur shook his head. Merlin's stupidity was irrelevant. So _this_ was what he had been hiding…

How could he have kept this from him! His manservant had _magic_ and didn't decide that it was a good idea to tell his _best friend_- oops. Did he just think that?

But then Arthur thought it over and realized why. Magic was _banned_ in Camelot! By telling _anybody_, he was practically signing his death warrant! Arthur knew that _he_ wouldn't trust his life to _Merlin_- would he?

Then Arthur thought about it, and realized that he _would_, and Merlin had _already_ saved his life several times over! Probably more than he knew! Why didn't he trust Arthur to repay the favor?

Then it hit him- Merlin didn't think of him as a true friend. He wasn't willing to take the chance and _see_ that at least _Arthur_ valued his friendship more than he valued his father's _stupid_ law! He didn't trust him!

He would _definitely _have to confront Merlin about this.

And that discussion around the campfire was sounding more promising by the second.

Arthur decided that it was a good time to move when Gwen walked by, stopped, stared at him with a raised eyebrow, and continued on her way when she realized that the prince was having one of his _moments_. Arthur didn't want rumor getting out about his _moments_.

He walked down the hall, deciding on a training session.

Now he just had to figure out an excuse for it.

Bah, he was the Prince Regent! Who needs excuses!

...

"So, tell me _why_ we're training again?" Gwaine asked incredulously as he fanned himself, amused at Arthur's excuse.

"Because… we need to practice fighting in the heat," Arthur said, then frowned as Gwaine laughed out loud.

"This _training _is just an excuse for you to hit something, isn't it?"


	8. The Campfire

**Author's note: Last chapter, save the super-short epilogue. Don't expect much for that- I could only think of a couple paragraphs to conclude things. Anyway, the awaited conversation! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ****_Merlin_**** and all its characters do not belong to me.**

"_Mer_lin, is it even physically possible for you to _be quiet_?" Arthur hissed as Merlin broke yet _another_ branch beneath his foot, scaring away the doe that Arthur had been stalking. The prince was willing to bet that Merlin _could_ be silent and was just making the noise to scare away all the animals. With all his secrets, it was more than likely.

Merlin just frowned and bit back a retort. Arthur had been _more_ than irritable on their hunt, and he was beginning to think that it was the negative energy that the prince was constantly emitting that was scaring away the animals rather than his clumsiness.

Arthur just sighed, looking up at the sky and then realizing how dark it was. Finally, he thought. He faked a sigh, "Anyway, it's getting late. We should set up camp."

"Finally!" Gwaine exclaimed, voicing his thoughts. It had been Merlin's _brilliant_ idea to invite the knight along, the warlock probably thinking that he would foil Arthur's plan by talking of some bar fight he got into two years ago. He sighed as Gwaine took a swig from his canteen. Arthur was guessing it didn't contain water.

The group set up camp, (though in Arthur's mind, 'the group' consisted of Merlin,) and Gwaine, with his constant drinking from his canteen, and the constant refilling from the bottles that he had somehow managed to sneak along, was asleep before Merlin had even finished cooking the deer they had caught, despite the warlock's best efforts. Merlin glared at the knight before pulling the deer off of the fire, Arthur attempting to think of a good start to the conversation. He went with the first thing that came to mind.

"So, _Mer_lin, ready to tell me that big secret of yours?" Arthur didn't realize how stupid that sounded until it came out of his mouth. Merlin snorted.

"Don't tell me you're still not over that," Merlin said, then looked at Arthur, eyes widening when he saw the sad look in the prince's eyes, "Arthur?"

"Why don't you trust me?" Arthur said, trying to sound as defeated as he could. Merlin gaped, the warlock wondering how knowing Merlin had a secret could have made Arthur this sad.

"Well, you're a prince- I'm a servant. _Trust_ didn't really come with the job description," he mentally slapped his forehead as Arthur glared at him. Was it 'Say Things You're Going to Regret the Second They're out of Your Mouth Night' or something?

"That's no excuse and you know it," Arthur said, and Merlin hung his head, "Despite what you seem to believe, I actually consider you as a friend," Arthur said, and Merlin gaped. The prince blushed. It had taken up most of the time it took Merlin to cook the deer to get the courage to say that, and Merlin's expression wasn't helping his pride one bit.

Merlin was stunned. "I never thought you'd actually admit it!" he said, his mouth still wide, "Will wonders never cease?"

Arthur creased his brow, "Well, it doesn't really mater, seeing as you don't seem to think the same of me."

Merlin frowned while gaping, which was quite an incredible feat. "I think of you as a friend!"

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

Merlin started to say something, then stopped, concern etched on his face. "That was in the past tense," he said, realization hitting him much like one of Arthur's goblets.

"Yeah," Arthur said, looking at Merlin with hurt in his eyes. Merlin's eyes finally met his.

"You know."

"Yeah."

"Say it, then," Merlin said.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Say what you know, so I know you're not bluffing," Merlin said, not letting himself worry yet. He knew Arthur was still playing his game, he just didn't know if he had won yet. He sighed, looking at the ground, "Condemn me."

Arthur gaped at this as he realized what Merlin was implying. He thought that Arthur was going to have him _killed_! He frowned and stared at the warlock.

"_Mer_lin, I'll have you know that I've had plenty of time to think about this, and not _once_ did it cross my mind to hand you in. You have _magic_, and the blundering on this hunting trip, if nothing else, has proved that there is not an evil bone in your body."

Merlin looked up, eyes wide. Arthur wasn't executing him? "But, your father-"

Arthur sighed noisily, "But, nothing! The way I see it, it's my _best friend_-" Did Arthur really just say that? "-Versus my father's judgment, and if my _best friend_-" there it was again, "-has magic, if there is just _one_ good person who practices sorcery, shouldn't that change my views? I've already gone against my father with Guinevere, should this be any different?"

Merlin gaped, not sure what to say. So he acted. Before Arthur could say, "_Mer_lin," he was barreled over in a hug, Merlin wiping the tears out of his eyes on Arthur's shirt. The prince didn't enjoy that, but, considering how emotional this moment was for the _both _of them, he stayed silent. Merlin ceased wiping his eyes and smiled at Arthur.

"Thank you, Arthur. For not hating me."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, and Merlin decided to cry into his shirt again.

It was then that Gwaine decided to wake up.

"Aw, you two! I never would have thought, but you're so _perfect_-" He never finished that sentence, as Arthur quickly broke the hug and ran at the knight.

It was probably a good thing Arthur didn't know that Gwaine had been feigning sleep the entire time.


	9. Epilogue

**Author's note: Okay, last chapter! As you may have noticed, it is ****_insanely_**** short, and I apologize, but I just wanted to get a decent close on the whole thing. ****_Thank you so much_**** for reading/reviewing/faving/following. You guys are awesome!**

**Anyway, until next time!**

**Disclaimer:****_ Merlin _****and all its characters do not belong to me.**

"_Mer_lin, your turn," Arthur said, and the warlock got a sense of déjà vu. He didn't know why, but ever since that conversation by the campfire, Gwaine had decided that they should play truth or dare every patrol, saying that it was a 'good learning experience.' Merlin had a sneaking suspicion that Gwaine hadn't been asleep during their conversation by the campfire. It would explain his newly found fascination in bonding between the knights.

"Dare," Merlin said, not willing to risk a truth again. Leon smirked, and Merlin shuddered.

"Perform a dance with Arthur while singing a song entitled 'Of Idiots and Their Ways.'"

"Oh, come on!"


End file.
